Process of fabricating structural steel



June 4, 1929. E. 0. CODDHNGTON 1,715,694

PROCESS OF FABRICATING STRUCTURL STEEL Filed March 1927 E f/ 657. Fig.2.

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(4 141 E, BY m W MMMM ATTORNEYS.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E'J'WIN L. CQDDINGTON', OF NORTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO WISCON- SIN BRIDGE 8c IRON CQIVIPANY, OF NORTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPDRA- T1011 (3F WISCONSIN.

FROGESS OF FABRICATING STRUCTURAL STEEL.

Application filed March 5,

This invention relates to an improved method of fabricating structural steel to produce columns, girders, beams, or any other similar or diverse structural steel 5 products constituted of plates, angles, chanhels or various other structural steel elements or shapes.

Fabricated steel girders, beams, and the e are built up from suitable structural steel elements such as plates, angles, channels, r the like, the elements being assembled in proper relation and being riveted together in the final product.

leretofore in the construction of fabricated steel products or" this kind it has been ocssary, first, to prepare drawings to show Q details of each oi the elements both as sl ape size and also to show the exact posi ion of each rivet hole. From these drawings templets are prepared and the temare used in marking oil or laying out the work, the laying out involving the cenpunching, or marking of each element the beam or girder so as to indicate d nnitely the position of each rivet hole to Considerable time and labor is be formec. expended at this stage of the old process. The next step in the old process is the punching of the holes in the elements, each element being handled separately and having its holes punched therein in accordance with the layout thereon. The elements after being properly punched, are new assembled in proper relation and when assembled are held assembled by being bolted together by means of the usual bolts, nuts, Washers. The punching rocess outlin d necessitates that the rivet holes of the assembled product be reamed, and this is e next sten in the conventional method. 5 course. as the holes are reamed, the nuts mast be tairen oil and the bolts must be taken out after the reaming both must be reol ed, and this is an operation that conres considerable more time and labor. the reaming, the product is ready for but there is another loss of time 1927. Serial No. 173,144.

amount of time and labor expended in the fabricating of the product- Will be greatly reduced and the cost lessened While enhancing rather than detracting from the strength, durability, and other desirable qualities of the product. In particular, the present in vention proposes to reduce the laying out process to a minimum and to eliminate the necessity of punching, in some instances, and of reaming, bolting and unbolting in all cases.

In carrying out the present invention structural steel elements of proper shape and size are selected and are assembled to have the form of the desired product, the several elements being temporarily clamped in sembly, or being held in assembly and in any other suitable manner, as for instance, by placing the elements in. a form to build up the assembly. With the elements assembled and temporarily held together, they are next tacked by spot welding at spaced points. At this pointit is to be noted that the Welding proposed is merely for the purpose of holding the elements in assembly during the subsequent operations and until they are riveted.- In other words, the elements are not permanently welded together, but are merely tacked together at spaced points. However, this tacking aids in some degree the strength of the final structure of the product. After the Welding templets are employed to mark out or center punch the beam, girder, or the like, so as to indicate the exact location of the holes to be provided for the rivets. There is substantial advantage in laying out at this time, by reason of the fact that one center punch or one mark often serves to indicate the position of the rivet holes for the plurality of the elements embodied in the assembly. A marked saving is thus effected by reducing the time and labor expended in marking or center punching. After the assembled beam, girder, or the like has been laid out, the holes are drilled therein with a high speed and high capacity drilling machine. The drilling is carried through the assembied elements and one drilling operation may form a rivet holethrough several structural steel elements. Inasmuch as the rivet holes are formed by drilling and are formed with the elements in proper alinemerit, reaming is unnecessary. The beam,

i so

girder, or the like, is now ready for riveting which is carried out without any. bolting or unbolting, as the elements are heldassembled by the spot welding.v In fact,

the bolting and unbolting has been eliminated from the entire method.

In fabricating light structural steel members, some of the advantages of applicants method may berealized by assembling the angles or plates, or other elements of a memher or product, tacking them together by spot welding, punching the holes therein in the proper places, reaming the holes if necessary, and then applying the rivets in the hole so punched? in this way the DQCGSSHY of bolting. and unbolting is eliminated. However, the method outlined in con unction with heavy work is especially advantageous, as it not only obviates the use of bolts and nuts, but also makes it possible to replace two operations, that is, punching and reaming by a single drilling operation. In both instances time and labor is saved by simplifying the laying out processes.

In the accompanying drawing the method is illustrated by showing how a fabricated column or beam is constructed in accordance therewith.

Figure 1 of the drawing is avfragmentary Figure 4 is a view in section on line 4-4 of Figure 3. 1

Figures 5 and 6 are views in s1de and end elevation respectively showing how the assembled elements of the beam or column are'drilled. a

Fi re '5 is a view in end elevation showing t e final product.

As shown in Figures]. and 2 the beam or column is made up of a plate or web 1 and angles 2, 3, at and 5 assembled with the plate as shown. The angles are temporarily fastened. or tacked to the web l by spot welds .6, the spot welds being at spaced points along the angles and serving to tack the angles to the web. Any suitable number of cover plates 7 may be provided and are tacked or temporarily secured to the anglesby means of spot welds 8. I

After the plateor web, the angles and the cover plates having been assembled and tacked together as shown, the holes which are to be drilled "to receive the rivets are may be employed, the templet being placed against the angles and. cover plates,-as shown in Figure 4, to afiord the basis of proper marking or center punching. A center 4 punch (l is shown to'illustrate how the holes may .be laid out.

After the holes have been laid out in this manner they are drilled and as indicated in Figures 5 and 6, a single operation serves to provide the rivet holes 9 through the angles and the web and a single operation also serves to drill the rivet holes 10 through the cover plates and angles. There is thus economy effected in laying out the holes and also in forming the same. Moreover, as the holes are formed by drilling, reaming is'unnecessary. The final step in the method consists in applying the rivets '12 as shown in Fi ure 7.- As the/various elements of the product are tacked together by the spotwelding immediately after assembly it is not necessary .to bolt and unbolt the elements. In fact, a

bolting and unbolting is eliminated and this i is a marked saving in time and labor as this operation must be carried out several times when fabricating structural steel elements in accordance with resent practices It' is to beun erstood that the structural steel product shown is merely one example by which the method is illustrated and the .presentmethod. is not limited to the fabrication to this particular structural steel product-but may be used to advantage in 'fabrieating any of the various structural steel products. In particular, it is to be noted that if cover plates are not needed they may be omitted. The point to be understood, however, is the universal utility and the universal capacity for advantageous use that is inherent in the present method.

The invention claimed is:

1. The herein described method of fabri eating structural steel products which consists in assembling the elements of the product, tacking the elements'in assembly b welding, then forming rivet holes through the assembled elements, and finally riveting i drilling the rivet holes through the assembled elements and permanently securing the I elements in assembly by riveting. laid out'and for this purpose a templet T v eating structural steel products such as 4. The herein describedmethod of fabri-' beams, columns, girders; and the like, which consists in assembling the elements of the product, temporarily welding the elements welding, laying off the assembly to indicate where the'rivet holes are to be formed, then in assembly by spot welding at spaced points, drillirg rivet holes through the assembled elements, and permanently securing the elements in assembly by riveting.

5. The herein described method of fabricating structural steel products such as beams, columns, girders and the like which consists in assembling a web, angles and cover plates, tacking the angles to the web by spot welding, tacking the cover plates to the angles by spot welding, drilling rivet holes through the assembled angles and web, drilling rivet holes through the assembled cover plates and angles, and riveting the angles to the web, and the cover plates-t0 the angles, 1

6. The herein described method of fabrieating structural} steel products such as beams, columns, girders and the like, which consists in assembling a web and angles, tacking the angles to the web by spot Welding, forming rivet holes through the assembled angles and web, and riveting the angles to the Web.

7. The herein described method of fabricating structural steel products which consists in assembling the elements of the prod uct, temporarily securing the elements in assembly, tacking the elements in assembly by welding, drilling the rivet holes through the assembled elements, and permanently securing the elements in assembly by riveting In witness whereof, I hereto afiix my signature.

EDWIN D. CODDINGTON. 

